The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-10-05
WHAT BEECHER WAS.
The Glowing Eulogy by the
Rev. Joseph Parker.
AN ENGLIsHMAN ON AMERICA.
owe Have Great Preachers In Eng.
land, but Beecher Stands Apart
from Them An"
EuloEizinrg sseeher.


New YORK, October 4.-Rev. DR..
Joseph Parker, of London. delivered a
rulogy upon Henry Ward Beecher, lat
the Brooklyn Academy of Music, to-
night. He began with reference to the
burdensome character of the task as
signed to him. ut overweighs me, he
said. Were some other man." he
added, "to claim this honor on the
ground of superior genius, he should
have it instantly with my hearts abso-
lutte consent. But no man shall take it
from me on the plea of larger love. If
love is genius, l claim to be called upon
for it, and the fact that each of US would
claim priority, only shows that the
sslnted name we memorabilia To-day
ton, and is IN the keeping of universal
love"
As an Englishman, DR.. Parker
claimed an advantage which no Ameri-
can could enjoy. Distance was essential
to true color, proportion and psrspec-
tive; it got rid of detail, friction and
tumult; 5000 miles away there was
seen only the outline of q noble figure.
Results only were seen, not pro-
cesses. In the criticism, therefore,
of a man like Mr.. Beecher,
Christian SEnglishmen are enabled to
make history before the time, and to
award the honor, whilst some of the
men in his own country are unable to
escape the limitations of locality and
vision. We must stand away from the
mountain if We would see its magni-
tude. After some glowing tributes to
America, its vitality, its freedom,
etc., he said: You have no
p imogeniture aud entail, no
House of Lords, no titular arisIocracy.
Yet yours are the vital and noble con-
ditions which X Henry Ward
Beechers possible. Henry Ward
Beecher never could have been IN
Europe what he was II America. You
gave him scope, you created opportuni
ties for him, your journals multiplied
his influence, your whole people ap-
piauded and consolidated his independ7
enoe. America possesses the baianceof
nations by showing that Ceasarism
is neither necessary to great
ness nor required for security.
"a free country gro s freemen." With
many humorous and pathetic touches.
DR.. Parker described the childhood Of
Beecher. "The house at Ii:ch6eld, " Re
said, twas not much of nest for such
an esglet. But in it there was an altar,
bible, secret gate opening imme-
diately upon heaven" He briefly
outlined Mr.. Beecher's career until
he became king whose throne was
in Plymouth Church, and whose see ptre
touched the uttermost parts of the
earth. Mr.. Beecher's discourses were
unique in their intellectual range,
though not free from a certain mo-
notony of conception and even form.
Other men have occasional powers;
now and again they can soar high and
work miracles in thought and
eloquence; they make supreme
efforts and suffer days after in
consequence, and are pensively
inquired about as men who are hardly
expected to recover from their infinite
fatigue. Beecher was great without
toll; mighty, without exhaustion; and
SO redundant were his pulpit miracles
that they we're in danger of being
treated as commonplace as other men s
sermons were but his introduotions
where they said amen" to their own
relief and delight OF many, he said
"6rstiy;;" when they hadsgiyen out all
of their bread, he began to load the
tables with intellectual luxuries drawn
from every field and vineyard accessi-
bic to the pulpit genius. Then the mo-
notony of mere framework or outline
was forgotten in the multitude and
vividness of illustrations which turned
abstract truth into concrete pictures |
Mr.. Beecher had supreme gift of Ian |
guage, as was betokened by his |
planet-like eyes, eyes as full as |
Shakespeare's, as radiant as Glad |
stones, as expressive as Garrick's. |
In the use of words, he was a NEGRO |
mancer, unconsciously so to large ex-
tent. for he never knew how well he
was expressing himself. Fluency in !
preacher is often a disease-in some in
stances it is crime; always a crime
when it depOses conscience, al,d prefers
It's own witness to honest painstaking.
It may be truly said that his thoughts
we're greater than his language. Every
word had its own tint of 4 IA
lellectual beauty. every sentence
is own freight of rich mean
ng, every sermon its own pictures, its
galaxy of stars"
His words we're innumersble, because
ais thoughts we're countless. We have
lad great preachers in England, but
Mr.. Beecher stood apart from them by
,u6 vel ~ 1871 NAV hulLoI tucS pQECuaecu
heir pulpit eminence by a great ex-
1enditure of effort, he was evidently
rec born. He toiled not, nor did he
,pin, yet the ornate pomp and classic
unity of others we're not to be COM
pared with his artless simplicity.
Artistic preachers work literary mir
scles on paper, but everywhere the cum
hing hand is seen. the rasping-flle is
heard. Nothing mechanical have yet
discovered in Mr.. Beecher's preaching.
It is eloquent breathing. Call it per-
,nnial fountain; call 1t q growing
harvest; call it q Frightening summer
lay, and your figure will not be remote
rom the phenomenal reality, but never
ken that preaching to any work of art
n mans device. 1t is not too much
o say that 20 many preachers
Mr.. B~echer's method gave q concep-
ion of the possibility of preaching,
Who. idea OF sermon was enlarged.
sermon was no longer an analysis of
: ords-a dresry creation and distri-
,u'ion of particulars; Q pedautic display
II learned ignorance. an onslaught
Tremendous n fssbisness) Upsn ahseAt